After what feels like a month, we finally get Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final tonight in south Florida. The Golden Knights not only have a 2-0 lead in the series, but they’ve been able to withstand the physical approach of the Panthers and have watched them willfully parade to the penalty box throughout the first two games. Can Florida keep it together and get back into the series or will Vegas be one win away from their first championship when we wake up on Friday morning?
The Blackhawks shared some comments from general manager Kyle Davidson as the team works at the NHL Draft Combine — where they reportedly sat down with top pick Connor Bedard on Wednesday. As you might imagine, more than one full year into his tenure as the permanent general manager has Davidson feeling a lot more comfortable about the process and his staff.
“At this point of the process, I think we had a lot of work that we did in June of last year that we’re just ahead of the game this year,” Davidson said. “So, I feel much more prepared with not only just the staff that we’ve have in place, but also just the information that we’ve got at this point. I feel we’re in a really good spot and ahead of the game compared to last year.”
On Wednesday evening, the Blackhawks reportedly agreed to a two-year extension with Andreas Athanasiou. Is the $4.25 million cap hit a little higher than many expected? Maybe. It’s a two-year deal; this isn’t going to break anyone financially. He worked hard last year, the coaches liked him, and he has some versatility. And he can fly. But… the Blackhawks still need to do some work up front…
The other big news in Chicago on Wednesday was the report that, after 14 years in St. Louis, Darren Pang is coming “home” to the Blackhawks as the color analyst for their local television broadcasts. I love the move.
This was an interesting nugget from insider Elliotte Friedman. He said on Wednesday that the Blackhawks were interested in then-Kings goaltender Cal Petersen before he was traded to Philly in the three-team blockbuster on Tuesday. With two years at $5 million left, he would have been an intriguing gamble for the Blackhawks. Considering the Kings gave up a second-round pick to dump the salaries of Sean Walker and Petersen in that trade for two meh prospects, that would have made sense for the Hawks’ asset collection strategy.
Scott Wheeler at The Athletic dropped a massive mailbag regarding the 2023 draft. There’s a ton to unpack here, but there are a few areas that I thought were fascinating. He’s asked where the current group of defensemen would rank against previous drafts, and Kevin Korchinski is still in/around the top-3 if he was in this class.
Wheeler talks about some guys who are rising on draft boards, specifically Bradly Nadeau. He’s an interesting name to consider for the Blackhawks later in the first, but there might be a few other options there as well. He also mentions that there’s some buzz that Andrew Cristall and Riley Heidt could slide into the early second round. Both of them would be nice picks for the Blackhawks at 35 overall.
And how did the Blackhawks get Korchinski? Well, if memory serves, it was in the trade of Alex DeBrincat to Ottawa. We’ve talked about this soap opera a couple times already this week, but Pierre LeBrun reported on Wednesday evening that apparently we’ve reached the point that a list of teams for a potential trade has been submitted. Just 12 short months ago fans were blasting Kyle Davidson for making this trade and now it appears it’s the GM that was on the other side of the phone whose job might be in trouble because of it.
On Wednesday, the NHL announced Flames center Mikael Backlund, Islanders left wing Anders Lee and Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse are the three finalists for the 2022‑23 King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which is presented “to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.”
This isn’t hockey related, but jabronis out there know that the Iron Sheik passed away. Lots of tributes out there on social media yesterday for one of the great trash talkers in the history of entertainment, but this one from (for my money) the greatest entertainer who has ever entered the ring hit home.
I cannot wait for September! The Bears will be on the field with what should be a significantly improved offense around maybe the most physically gifted player the franchise has ever had in Justin Fields (yes, big-time hyperbole there but… yeah…) and the Blackhawks will open training camp with the top pick on the ice. What a time to be alive! (Also: make sure you’re following our Bears coverage already because Lu does a great job!)
Finally, as has been my trend, let’s focus on the prospects on the diamond as the major league product continues to struggle…
NEWSLETTER
